With the 408-foot needle, the WTC building will be 1,776 feet tall, edging out the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, which juts 1,451 feet into the Chicago skyline.

At a press conference, a spokesperson for CTBUH said antennas and other items aren’t considered part of a building's height because they are impermanent. But the needle on the WTC building is an architectural element and will be permanently attached, which means it is included in the height measurements.